


and i'm following lightning

by chatsdelune (greymooses)



Series: alien!wonwoo [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alien/Human Relationships, Arguing, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Happy Ending, I Made Myself Cry, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Minor Lee Seokmin | DK/Yoon Jeonghan, Sharing Clothes, Slice of Life, Snapshots, alien!wonwoo but he looks human, drive-by sexual content basically, i'm so alone haha, in month ten and eleven, it's there and then it's not, very heavily implied, we run an equal opportunity railer and railee household, wonwoo's kind of an idiot and soonyoung is kind of rightfully upset
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 10:40:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27849522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greymooses/pseuds/chatsdelune
Summary: it's been a month since wonwoo — human-looking-alien wonwoo — walked into soonyoung's apartment while he was at class. a month since he healed a gash on soonyoung's head. a month since he started wearing soonyoung's clothes and sleeping in soonyoung's bed and remembered his ship crashed so he couldn't go home.(and then eleven more, aka a year with these fools.)
Relationships: Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi
Series: alien!wonwoo [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2038578
Comments: 23
Kudos: 142





	and i'm following lightning

**Author's Note:**

> PART TWO GASP. i made myself cry like. pretty hard writing month eleven, not because of anything *bad*, just bc emotions. writing anything resembling a healthy relationship is so fucking draining. anyway you've been warned. if you want to skip the making up part that made me sob, you can stop reading at the end of jeonghan's phone call and go right to month twelve. you won't really lose _that_ much. there is a surprise svt member cameo and Drama (not directly related to the cameo, no cheating or anything bc ew) but everything is Fine at the end.
> 
> i... think it's understandable without reading the first part? but i wouldn't really recommend it.
> 
> my outline for this started as "alien wonu :( meeting seok and getting [that sweater](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/39/a7/c1/39a7c19cce21551e9576f32960ef29aa.jpg) from the w interview :( once he can like. pass as human." and i truly don't know what happened. [silver hoshi](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b1/0e/06/b10e06243534caec13d1be16a244a0cc.jpg), basically. i read over it a few times, but if i missed something weird i'm very sorry.

_one month after wonwoo crashed  
_  
it's been a month since wonwoo — human-looking-alien wonwoo — walked into soonyoung's apartment while he was at class. a month since he healed a gash on soonyoung's head. a month since he started wearing soonyoung's clothes and sleeping in soonyoung's bed and remembered his ship crashed so he couldn't go home.

a month since wonwoo kissed him for the first time, but absolutely not the last.

there are a lot of things soonyoung has had to teach him:  
the names of earth animals and shapes like he's a kindergartener;  
the names of household objects and why they exist and how to use them;  
the point of showering and the fact that you need to dry off afterwards and put clothes on before you come out of the bathroom. this is especially true, he tells him, when you look like _that._

wonwoo is confused by the comment. soonyoung doesn't tell him it's because he can only handle seeing him shirtless so many times — big chest, big arms, ridiculous six-pack, tiny waist — before he has a horny breakdown. _maybe_ he had a reason to be that muscular on his planet, or maybe his race just looks like that, but either way it's absurd.

wonwoo has tried a wide variety of foods — at home, because taking him to restaurants seems like a terrible idea — and watched a whole lot of television and movies because those seem like the best way for him to understand how humans live. he likes them, and soonyoung likes curling up on the couch with him and horangie, so it works out.

the only things soonyoung can think of that he _hasn't_ done are allow wonwoo to try coffee and talk to him about sex.

he gets tired of not trying coffee, apparently.

horangie wakes up soonyoung early on a friday morning by gracefully batting him in the face with a paw. wonwoo isn't next to him, which is the first sign something is wrong. the second is horangie leading him out of his bedroom — their bedroom, christ — and into the living room. wonwoo is sitting on the couch, or technically _above_ the couch, floating cat toys all around him and floating himself.

horangie looks up at soonyoung and meows. which is fair. it's not normal, even for wonwoo.

he's not awake enough for this. "wonu, why are you floating?"

"don't know. had coffee."

jesus christ. "you had coffee."

"wanted to see why you like it so much."

soonyoung shakes his head. "i knew teaching you to use the keurig was a mistake."

"it's kind of gross. i didn't even drink that much of it."

"is this new?" he asks. "floating like the cat toys. did you ever do it on your planet?"

"yes, but not much. it took a lot of energy, and it didn't feel like this. it's kind of fun," wonwoo replies. he leans forward and somehow _moves,_ like he's swimming in the air. mindboggling, yes, though not the craziest thing about him, if soonyoung thinks about it.

horangie meows again, like he's got an opinion. he probably does. soonyoung waits for wonwoo to translate.

"he's mad the balls are floating too high for him to reach, and also doesn't want me to float around too much. he's afraid i'll suddenly fall and hurt myself."

"that's very sweet of him."

"that's what i said."

"can you come down, maybe?" soonyoung asks. "can you control what you're doing?"

wonwoo answers him by floating closer and kissing him on the forehead, then lowering himself to the ground.

"thanks. i was worried you'd hurt yourself, too," soonyoung tells him. he's wearing the purple outfit he borrowed his first weekend here, and he looks very cute, but anyways soonyoung has a ceiling fan. he doesn't want to think about what could've happened. "wait, can you heal yourself?"

"hmm. never had to try."

"... right. please be careful. and maybe no more coffee?"

wonwoo pouts, but he nods his head in agreement.

👽👽👽

_  
two months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
wonwoo gets cold. soonyoung knew this, but as time has passed and they've moved into winter, he's started to steal more clothes from soonyoung's closet and dresser, which he layers — especially when soonyoung is at class and can't be his personal heater. he doesn't have enough clothing for this, but he does have enough money to buy some more.

he still doesn't really trust wonwoo to blend in with humans outside the apartment, so he waits until a weekend and brings up the idea of online shopping — the other main thing he knows how to do with his laptop outside of classwork.

wonwoo shrugs, so soonyoung grabs his computer and opens his favorite site. he puts a few hoodies in his cart, some cute sleep pants with cats on them and a few regular pairs of sweats. soonyoung's jeans are a little too big for him, so he adds a few pairs with a smaller waist size.

wonwoo stares at the screen the whole time and gives an occasional opinion, but mostly he turns his head once in a while and pouts. it's become a regular thing. he's figured out that it causes soonyoung to do what he wants at least seventy percent of the time.

he's really, really gorgeous. soonyoung can't be held responsible.

"what's up?" he asks. "you're doing the thing you do when you want something."

"i don't understand why i can't keep wearing your clothes."

soonyoung stops what he's doing. "because i don't have enough for both of us. i thought you might like your own."

"but they won't smell like you."

his brain makes a weird grinding noise. "won't they if you keep them in my closet? there's plenty of room in there."

"not as much as the ones you wear," wonwoo replies, and it sounds so pitiful and sad and soonyoung is pretty sure he's playing him but he can't say no.

"okay, well," he starts, because he's fucking whipped, "your waist is tiny, so we can't share jeans. i can consolidate my things so you can have your own drawer for those. but pants with a drawstring might be okay, and shirts and hoodies are okay, too," he continues, clicking to delete things in his cart. "but we need to find things we'll both wear."

"can i still have the cat pants?"

soonyoung smiles. he already intended to leave those. "definitely."

wonwoo forces his arm up so he can lean against his side. soonyoung plays with his hair and starts clicking through the tops again.

👽👽👽

_  
three months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
seokmin believes in aliens. soonyoung could've told him, at any point, that there was an alien in his apartment that he makes out with on a regular basis and seokmin wouldn't have judged him in the slightest. truthfully, he's not sure why he didn't.

it doesn't matter, because seokmin calls him and reports that he and jeonghan are at his apartment. he says they opened the door with their emergency key and found a guy on his couch, chirping and purring at the cat like they were having a conversation, and the guy insisted he was allowed to be there.

these are of course normal things to soonyoung at this point, but obviously not to his best friends. he meant to introduce the three of them when he felt like wonwoo was ready to convincingly emulate human behavior, and maybe when he was actually present, but apparently that's not happening.

"just… don't comment on it," soonyoung tells him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "his name is wonwoo. i'll be home soon and can explain everything. could you give him the phone so i can talk to him?"

"uhh. sure," seokmin answers, clearly confused, but soonyoung hears him moving around and telling wonwoo that he wants to talk to him.

wonwoo sounds very apprehensive about the whole situation when he says, "hello?" he knows about phones, but hasn't had the chance to use one.

"hey, wonu. it's me."

"oh, your voice is coming out of the little rectangle!"

soonyoung rolls his eyes in the middle of the grocery store. he's almost painfully fond. "the people there are my friends, seokmin and jeonghan. i'll be home soon. do you remember everything we've talked about? about acting human."

"yes, of course."

"okay. would you please do those things instead of purring at horangie? we don't want to freak them out."

"'rangie will be upset, but i guess so."

"thanks. can you give the phone back to seokmin?"

"sure. i miss you."

"i'll leave in a few minutes," soonyoung tells him. there's a pause on the other end of the line, presumably while the phone is handed back.

"he misses you, huh?" seokmin asks. "why didn't you tell us you had a boyfriend?" his tone is somewhere between insulted that soonyoung didn't say anything and excited by the prospect of teasing him about it.

boyfriend throws him off. he kind of just thinks wonwoo is wonwoo. neither one of them are seeing other people — soonyoung doesn't want to — but maybe wonwoo would if he ever left the apartment. all the television and movies should've allowed an opening for soonyoung to talk about it, but he never did.

"i'm at the checkout now, i need to go. whatever you do, please don't tell anyone about this."

"what the hell is the big deal? is he an alien or something?" seokmin asks, definitely kidding but definitely not wrong.

soonyoung feels like he waits too long to answer. "leaving really soon, bye," he hurriedly says, then hangs up.

***

soonyoung sits his friends down on the couch while wonwoo puts the groceries away. he likes doing it; soonyoung always buys something new for him to try and he's always very interested in finding it.

he doesn't really know how else to start this conversation, so he just jumps in. "do you remember when i texted you guys that aliens definitely exist?" seokmin nods. jeonghan narrows his eyes. "it was after our first kiss. you were right on the phone. he's not human."

the two of them share a glance and jeonghan shrugs like he's completely unaffected — soonyoung knows he isn't — before seokmin speaks. "wait, so not only are you harboring an extraterrestrial, you've kissed him?"

"yeah," soonyoung admits. "like, a lot. he sleeps in my bed."

jeonghan snorts. "you've _slept with him?_ "

"yes, but not like that."

"why not?" seokmin whispers. "he's _hot._ "

"he runs cold, actually," soonyoung quips. "it's just not the right time."

"so… an alien," jeonghan says after a moment.

"yep."

"soonie, i found it!" wonwoo exclaims from the kitchen.

"it goes in a cupboard," soonyoung calls back, referring to the new kind of cereal he bought. he can feel himself grinning. both of his friends notice.

jeonghan shakes his head. "this is crazy."

"i'm aware," soonyoung replies.

they're silent for a bit. jeonghan stares into the kitchen. seokmin's expression morphs into one of revelation. "so, wait, he was talking to horangie when we got here. was he _actually_ talking to horangie?"

"yeah. he does that."

"oh my god," seokmin groans. "hannie, he can talk to the cat."

"yeah," jeonghan says, acknowledging he's heard his boyfriend but still staring into the kitchen where a very normal looking wonwoo is very normally continuing to put away groceries. occasionally he holds something up to his face to analyze it like he's forgotten what it is and isn't sure where to put it.

soonyoung pats them both on the knee. "you get used to it."

👽👽👽

_  
four months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
"i was thinking," soonyoung starts. wonwoo lifts his head from his stomach and cranes his neck to look up at him. "maybe you're ready to go outside."

wonwoo's face lights up. "really?"

"yeah, i mean, you're basically a more functional human than i am at this point. we can start really small. maybe just go for a walk."

"can i see traffic lights?"

"definitely. i'll even let you push the button for crosswalks," soonyoung answers. he's fascinated by them every time he sees them on the television or laptop screen. it's very charming.

"you're my favorite human," wonwoo sighs, resting his head back on soonyoung's abdomen. "i'm glad i unlocked your door."

he runs his fingers gently through wonwoo's hair. he introduced him to the concept of hair dye a while back. it's a deep red, now, which is a little more subtle than the purple. "me, too."

***

they go out the next day.

wonwoo is thrilled to see traffic lights in person, and cars, and real people on sidewalks — everything soonyoung has generally taken for granted or cursed the existence of more than once in his life. that's when he remembers that the first thing _wonwoo_ remembers is waking up in his hallway. he's literally never even seen any of this. none of soonyoung's windows directly face the street.

he suddenly feels guilty about keeping him inside for months, even if it was definitely the safer option for both of them, but it gives him an idea.

"hey, so since you don't really have a birthday here, what if we made it today?"

"oh," wonwoo replies, quiet.

"i could get cake. we could invite seokmin and jeonghan over."

"would i get gifts?"

soonyoung laughs. "of course."

"okay. that sounds nice."

he grabs wonwoo's hand as they walk. "okay. happy birthday, wonu."

he's quiet for a bit, taking in everything around them before he asks, "when is the day you complete another revolution around the sun?"

"june fifteenth," soonyoung answers, smiling. wonwoo has learned a lot about how to be human, but he suspects that some things will never change.

***

the next time seokmin and jeonghan are both free is a few days later. as promised, soonyoung gets a cake on his way home from class. it's chocolate, which wonwoo generally likes.

wonwoo specifically chooses his nicer jeans, but pairs them with a hoodie that soonyoung knows he was the last one to wear. he's been picking soonyoung's clothes more often now that they've started going on walks — at least as much as anything specifically belongs to either of them anymore. soonyoung pretends to straighten wonwoo's sleeves and fix his hair as an excuse to kiss him in the middle of the living room, interrupted by a knock on the door.

seokmin and jeonghan come bearing gifts. jeonghan appears slightly less uneasy with the fact that wonwoo isn't actually human, so at least there's that. the gifts are unnecessary — soonyoung has his own to give him — but when they hand them over, wonwoo seems excited about yet another thing happening that he's only ever seen on a screen.

"i'm sorry about talking to horangie before. soonyoung told me i shouldn't do that when people are around," he says, putting the gifts down on the coffee table. he keeps glancing at them, though, when soonyoung is in the kitchen getting plates.

"you can open them now, if you want to," he tells wonwoo. "is that okay, guys?"

"absolutely," seokmin confirms. "have you ever received birthday gifts?"

"i never completed a full revolution around my planet's sun, so no, i never had a birthday, not in the way you define them here."

"huh," jeonghan says. to no one in particular.

soonyoung sees seokmin put a hand on his thigh before very excitedly saying, "open them, open them. soonie, come watch your boyfriend open his first birthday presents ever."

soonyoung laughs, but he's inwardly terrified by the use of the b-word again. wonwoo doesn't seem to notice, just picks up one of the gifts and starts slowly removing the wrapping paper as soonyoung sits next to him on the floor.

ten minutes later, jeonghan has put a new bucket hat on wonwoo's head, he's surrounded by thick socks, and there's a nice pair of gloves on the table in front of him. his favorite gift, though, seems to be a pastel-gradient sweater with an outline of a unicorn head that he's been staring at for so long that seokmin is apparently getting worried.

"if you don't like it, i can—"

wonwoo shakes his head vehemently. "no, i love it. it looks like a snoonew."

"a snoonew?" jeonghan asks.

soonyoung watches wonwoo nod, clearly uninterested in offering an explanation. he's basically in awe of the sweater. soonyoung glances at jeonghan and silently pleads with him to drop it. he doesn't ask again.

"it's soft, too. and the arms look very long." — for balling up in his fists, soonyoung knows. — "thank you," he says quietly.

soonyoung might love him.

is pretty sure he's in love with him.

like, ninety percent sure.

he makes a mental note to tell wonwoo to keep it with his jeans in his drawer, and to never wear it himself — not only because he doesn't think he could pull it off.

"cake?" he asks, because if he keeps staring at wonwoo staring at the sweater he might cry or something.

"cake," wonwoo agrees.

***

after seokmin and jeonghan have left, after wonwoo has carefully put away his gifts and they've changed and he's climbed into bed, soonyoung pulls two more presents out of the back of the closet and places them near his feet.

wonwoo looks up at him, tired and soft and confused. he still doesn't need to sleep, not technically, and he doesn't maybe once a week, but his body adjusted to his _choice_ to sleep a couple of months ago. "more gifts?" he mumbles, sitting up.

soonyoung sits on the bed and pulls them into his lap. "yeah, these ones are from me."

wonwoo looks surprised. soonyoung rests his head on his shoulder while he unwraps them, with the same care as he did seokmin's and jeonghan's.

the larger one is a jacket. it's puffy and zips high enough to cover wonwoo's neck and has a hood — hopefully warm enough for him to go outside in because it's february. wonwoo turns his head and presses his lips against soonyoung's hair.

the smaller box holds a phone. he opens it and turns the rectangle over his hands. "these are expensive."

soonyoung shakes his head against wonwoo's shoulder. "it's okay, my parents give me more than i can spend. thought it would be good for you to be able to reach me when you start walking around on your own, or even if i'm out and you need me or something. i already put my number in."

wonwoo doesn't say anything, just sets the phone back in its box and leaves it on his bedside table before getting out of bed. he hangs the jacket over the closet door before gathering the wrapping paper and disappearing to throw it away. soonyoung slides down in bed and waits. wonwoo eventually climbs back into bed and lets him plaster himself to his side.

"you really are my favorite human," he hums, running the tips of fingers back and forth between soonyoung's shoulder blades, nose buried in his hair. he has to stop letting him watch so many romantic comedies. "the best human, maybe."

"you haven't exactly met many of them."

"doesn't matter. obviously i'll still think my boyfriend is the best, even when i do."

there's that casual b-word again, but it coming from wonwoo is totally different than it coming from seokmin or even his own head. it's a nice sentiment, but what he's saying makes him nervous. "will you, though?"

"mm. yes. couples on my planet stay together for a long time. we're very good at knowing these things."

"think that's why you landed outside my door?" soonyoung jokes.

"honestly?" wonwoo says, completely serious. "i didn't want to tell you before, but probably."

soonyoung doesn't know how to react. wonwoo kisses the top of his head and all he can say is, "oh," before craning his neck to reach wonwoo's mouth. he meets him halfway and they've done this a hundred times but he'll never get over how wonwoo is so calm about it, even though he's clearly into it. he always slows soonyoung down, always seems more interested in just kissing him than it turning into anything more serious.

frustrating at times, yes, but very sweet.

wonwoo's brain evidently catches up to his body and realizes what's happening, enough to break away and clear his throat. "you should sleep."

"yeah. class in the morning."

the last thing soonyoung remembers thinking is that maybe he's, like, ninety-two percent sure he's in love.

👽👽👽

_  
five months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
in the past five months, wonwoo has devoured almost everything on netflix.

soonyoung had been in class two weeks ago, wondering what to do with him, when he apparently found the library on one of his walks. soonyoung got home that day and wonwoo used a truly pitiful excuse for puppy dog eyes to get him to sign up for a library card. the eyes were influential, he's not going to lie, but mostly he was so impressed that wonwoo navigated a brand new situation on his own that he didn't even think twice about agreeing, and then spent an entire episode of some stupid american sitcom in his lap making out with him rather than reading subtitles. they had to start the episode over.

anyway, now wonwoo can borrow books.

so. many. books. it's like he just walks in and picks random things off a few different shelves. he always has one on his bedside table, there's always one on the coffee table, and sometimes one on the top of the fridge. soonyoung has no idea why that's a good spot for a book, but whatever. he could have worse habits, like shooting lasers from his eyes.

he reads _constantly._ fiction, non-fiction, it doesn't matter.

soonyoung has never been able to figure out how he can read in the first place, but he presumes it has to do with that "hatched with all the knowledge you might need" thing and it happens to include all of the languages in all of the universes. or maybe babel fish are real and he has one, who knows. do babel fish even translate written words? soonyoung should read those books again. wonwoo might like them, actually.

so yeah, his alien boyfriend _loves_ the library. he shouldn't be surprised when one friday morning — while soonyoung is waiting for his coffee and wonwoo is feeding horangie — he asks, "will you come to the library with me? i finished my books."

and maybe it's because he hasn't had his caffeine yet, or maybe it's because they're both still in the clothes they slept in and wonwoo looks very soft and bleary-eyed, or maybe because he actually wants soonyoung to go with him on one of his little adventures, but the question makes him want to fight anything or anyone that ever tries to hurt him.

so maybe he's, like, ninety-four percent sure.

"i was going to go grocery shopping, maybe pick up some pizza on the way home," soonyoung replies. "but you could come with me if you want. put those arms to good use."

horangie chirps as his food is placed on the floor. a moment later, wonwoo wraps himself around his back, which is certainly good use of his arms, but not exactly what he had in mind. "you're suddenly unable to carry your own groceries?" wonwoo asks, genuinely concerned.

"i _can,_ i just think you'd look better doing it," soonyoung mutters into his mug. he lowers it and says, "we can go to the library first."

wonwoo sighs. "i would look better doing most things, i think."

he's probably right, but soonyoung rolls his eyes anyway, even though wonwoo can't see it. "are you coming with me or not? i'd like you to. i miss you when i go shopping."

he's quiet for a moment. soonyoung takes another sip of his coffee. he sounds unsure when he says, "if you trust me. it's hard to mess up in the library, but i haven't been inside anywhere else."

soonyoung knows all too well, but that's irrelevant. he clears his throat. "i do trust you, and i'll be right there the whole time."

"okay."

"okay. you have to change, though. i'm not taking you out in the cat pants."

"i will, just want to stay here while you finish your coffee," wonwoo says, still attached to his back.

"maybe you could cling _and_ let me drink this on the couch instead of pinning me to the counter?"

wonwoo sighs, but relents, releasing him long enough for him to get safely settled on the couch.

***

"this is the book i wanted," soonyoung whispers, poking wonwoo on the shoulder.

"the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy?" he says, scrunching his face up in confusion. "you can't hitchhike across a galaxy, no one would ever let you on their ship."

soonyoung shoots him a look, but he can't keep the smirk off his face.

wonwoo seems to realize what he said all at once. "i mean, i would assume. i wouldn't let anyone on _my_ ship, if i had one."

it's a pretty decent recovery, so soonyoung gives him a thumbs up. it's technically not even a lie; he doesn't have a ship, not anymore.

wonwoo picks up a few more books as they make their way to the desk — randomly off the shelves like soonyoung suspected. after they're checked out, soonyoung puts them all in one of his cloth bags and goes to sling it over his shoulder, but wonwoo grabs it without comment, grinning when soonyoung gapes at him.

he's used to wonwoo being clingy, but the confidence and occasional unabashed flirting is newer. he thinks maybe it started with the red hair, but it's really only gotten worse since he's seen multiple examples of every fictional romance trope ever concocted.

they hit the grocery store next, a few blocks away. wonwoo has seen them on tv and is familiar with the concept, but like with the traffic lights and cars and people on their first walk, he reminds soonyoung of a little kid in his big jacket and bucket hat, fully in awe of everything he sees and the fact that there's so much of it and he's _in_ it. he does well when there are people around them, though; he feigns boredom until they're alone again, then points at things and whispers excitedly that he likes them, or grumbles that he hates them, like soonyoung doesn't know his preferences after this long.

soonyoung sends him off to choose something new for himself while he gets the rest of the things they need. wonwoo meets him at the registers with strawberries, a tomato, a box of cereal, and some peach yogurt. 

he physically can't say no, even though he told wonwoo _one_ thing, and he knows he's tried tomatoes before. like, he tries to make his mouth say the word, but wonwoo is staring at him expectantly and suddenly his tongue doesn't work. soonyoung lets him put his haul in the cart, but refuses to carry the bags with any of the items inside, which happens to be all three of them.

he takes the bag from the library, though, and carries the pizza they stop for near the apartment.

👽👽👽

_  
six months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
everything has sort of… settled.

"it's the end of the honeymoon period," seokmin tells him one day when they grab coffee after soonyoung's class. "it's normal."

"i thought that involved a lot of sex."

"i mean, it usually does, but i don't think it's a requirement. he's more comfortable here. you're more comfortable letting him do things on his own. you don't feel like you _need_ each other all the time anymore, you're just happy coexisting."

"you and jeonghan are just happy coexisting?"

seokmin shrugs. "he stops me from buying things i don't need. i stop him from getting too mischievous. it's one of those relationships like nemo living in an anemone."

"symbiotic."

"yeah, that. anyway, it makes sense. it's been like six months, hasn't it?" soonyoung nods. "as long as you _are_ happy coexisting, and you feel like you need him at least some of the time, i don't see a problem."

wonwoo has a key that he actually uses instead of his weird magic hands. he's started taking the cat on walks — on a leash — and will tell soonyoung about people who stopped them to say hello. he'll take soonyoung's debit card and run to the store to buy him snacks he's craving when he's working on an assignment.

the most alien-like thing he continues to do on a regular basis is converse with horangie.

but soonyoung got home the other day and found him watching porn. like, in a scientific, analytical way, and soonyoung passed through to the bedroom without saying anything, but he basically hasn't been able to stop thinking about taking wonwoo's clothes off ever since, even though he usually tries to avoid thinking about it.

so maybe there's something to what seokmin is saying.

"need might be an understatement," soonyoung sighs.

"have you still not…" seokmin trails off, wide-eyed. "i thought you just weren't as much as you thought you should. are you sure he, you know, has the right bits?"

"... yes."

"you want to elaborate?"

soonyoung sighs, because he doesn't like acknowledging that it's his fault wonwoo hasn't been walking around wet and naked after showering for all these months, but he definitely did it enough times for him to know he appears one-hundred percent human in all areas. "no."

seokmin raises an eyebrow at him. "okay, well. i don't think it's weird that you aren't going at it like rabbits, whatever your definition of that is. sounds like he could survive on his own, but he likes you."

"yeah, i guess." soonyoung is pouting, he knows, and fiddling with his straw in his drink.

seokmin squints at him. "you're not convinced."

"he called me his boyfriend once, after he heard you say it that night you guys came over for his birthday. but what if he's only attached to me because i'm the one that took him in? horangie loved me the most until wonwoo came along. what if wonwoo finds his own wonwoo?"

he _knows_ wonwoo told him this is highly unlikely, that his race has a more fate-like and permanent approach to finding love or mates or whatever, and him waking up outside soonyoung's apartment wasn't likely to be a coincidence. he shouldn't _still_ be doubting it, but sometimes the thoughts worm their way into his brain.

"people," seokmin tells him resolutely, "or whatever he is — more intelligent lifeforms — aren't cats, soonyoung. even if they can talk to them."

***

he picks up some food for them on his way home.

they find this show about the apocalypse and angels and demons and sons of the antichrist or something and watch half of the episodes back-to-back. or wonwoo does. soonyoung falls asleep on his lap, right around some witch forgetting her book in the back of a car like an idiot, with fingers carding through his hair.

👽👽👽

_  
seven months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
wonwoo doesn't cook. he'll dabble with the microwave when he's home alone if he really wants some rice, but generally he has no reason to, since generally he doesn't need to eat. so when soonyoung walks in after a late class — exhausted and already resigned to eating ramen for dinner — and it smells like kimchi and eggs, he's honestly a little confused.

horangie meets him at the door and trills at him insistently. "what's up, 'rangie?" he asks, crouching down to pet him, dropping his bag on the floor as he goes. the cat prances off into the kitchen. soonyoung follows and finds him circling wonwoo's feet.

wonwoo, standing at the stove, with a spatula in his hand, and bowls next to him, and nothing is on fire.

"wonu? you're cooking."

"i know," he replies flatly. he steps away from the stove for a moment and reaches up to the top of the fridge, pulls a book down, and holds it out between them, eyes on the food instead of soonyoung.

it's a cookbook. he must have gone to the library today. soonyoung could cry. tears up a little bit, actually, and puts the book back on the fridge before hugging wonwoo from behind.

a bit more forcefully than probably required, because he lets out a little _hmph_ noise.

and yeah, it's been a weird, tough couple of months on his confidence in their relationship, but just like that — soonyoung is absolutely positive.

"i love you," he mumbles, voice a little bit wobbly, into the back of wonwoo's neck.

"did you not before? why is your—" he starts, then puts the spatula down, clicks off the burner, and turns in soonyoung's arms. he grabs his face and runs his thumbs under his eyes, looking very concerned. "you're doing that thing people do when they're sad."

soonyoung shakes his head and sniffles. "we do it when we're happy, too. or sometimes for no reason at all."

"so which one is it?"

"i don't know. i'm exhausted, and you haven't used the stove once in all this time, and you made me dinner, and i'm just… in love with you and it's stupid and scary."

wonwoo stares at him for a moment like he's searching his face for something, but god only knows what it is. aliens, man. soonyoung rolls his eyes up the ceiling and tries to not cry more. wonwoo finds what he's looking for, or doesn't, who really knows, and moves his hands to cradle the back of his head and pull him in. he kisses him softly on the lips, then each cheek, and looks him dead in the eyes when he says, "i love you, too. i thought you knew that."

"no, not really," soonyoung mumbles, pouting. "do you even know what love is?"

"of course. maybe not as instinctively as you, because that's not how my race works, but my race doesn't eat or sleep either. earth has obviously changed some things." he pauses solely to gently kiss him again. "being with _you_ has obviously changed some things. i'm sorry i didn't tell you in a way you understood. horangie knew."

the cat meows like he's agreeing — and probably calling soonyoung a moron.

soonyoung takes a deep breath and blows it out slowly, composing himself, trying to internalize everything wonwoo said so he doesn't forget. "okay. i'm okay," he says, even though his eyes are still tearing up. "is that ready?" he asks, nodding his head towards the stove. "because it smells really good."

***

he doesn't know if it's the fact that wonwoo apparently watches porn when he's at class now or something else inhuman — it's probably the fact that wonwoo watches porn when he's at class — but he doesn't slow soonyoung down that night. he kisses him back just as hard as soonyoung kisses him, pulls both of their shirts off before dragging him on top of him and running his hands over his back.

he assumes wonwoo shivers because he's cold. soonyoung shivers because even though it's all they do, it's new and he would move mountains for wonwoo, fight dragons or anything else in any galaxy that he can't possibly fathom. he reaches behind himself and tries to tug the blankets up over his back without breaking the kiss, but doesn't have a lot of success. wonwoo figures it out, helps bring them up to soonyoung's bare shoulders, and holds him a little tighter.

👽👽👽

_  
eight months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
soonyoung's birthday has never been a huge affair. he doesn't throw huge parties or go out to bars — he has too much classwork for that. seokmin and jeonghan have insisted on taking him to dinner the last few years, though, and do the same this year, enthusiastically inviting wonwoo along because "we haven't seen him in forever," so that's on the schedule for later.

not on the schedule: his boyfriend making breakfast for him with hair still wet from their shared shower, and one of the best blow jobs of soonyoung's life. it doesn't mean much when wonwoo holds all of the top five spots, but the point is he keeps getting better.

they're still going pretty slow. wonwoo doesn't seem to be in a hurry and soonyoung isn't either, though he _is_ afraid of what going beyond sucking each other off would do to him. logically speaking, letting wonwoo have more time to figure out how to drive him crazy is probably not the best idea if he doesn't want the first time to be so good that he forgets where he is and everything about it, but his dick kind of thinks logic can rot in hell.

so yeah, wonwoo is making him breakfast.

he's put a birthday hat on horangie, who is sleeping on the couch. soonyoung snorts when he sees it. "how many treats did you have to promise him before he let you do that?"

"none. i thought it would make you laugh, and that was a good enough reason for him. i should take it off now that you've seen it, though."

"keep cooking. i'll get it." horangie opens an eye when soonyoung gently removes the hat and licks his hand before he pulls away.

"he says he loves you," wonwoo hums.

"i would hope so, after i rescued him from the street," he scoffs, then moves to the kitchen. "what are you making me?"

"pancakes. you're skipping class today, right?"

"mm." spending the whole day with wonwoo seems like more fun than not.

"okay, so making you pancakes and also making you come as much as possible." he says it so deadpan that soonyoung chokes on air. "you okay over there?"

"you can't just _say_ that," he protests, but he's suddenly very warm. he hates how flustered wonwoo makes him.

his boyfriend flips the pancakes over and turns to him. "why not?"

"because— you— it's—" he stammers. it's hard to get thoughts out when his head and dick are conspiring against him. all either of them can think about is wonwoo's hands and mouth on him. he makes a decision and reaches over to turn off the stove, pressing his entire body against wonwoo's as he does. "sex now, pancakes later."

wonwoo tilts his head like he's thinking. soonyoung actually worries he'll turn him down for a second, but he says, "yeah, that sounds good," with his voice pitched low and squeezes soonyoung's ass and oh, god, he didn't fully consider what he was asking for. he's doomed.

***

he thought dry orgasms were a myth. apparently, they're not. he also thought he didn't like dicks in his ass, though he discovered when he couldn't hold himself up anymore that he was wrong about that one, too. it's possible wonwoo is an exception because of love or whatever, but anyway it was a good afternoon. solid nine out of ten, with one point deducted because his throat kind of hurts and he really wants those pancakes.

he whines about it to wonwoo, who's standing next to the bed with his arms out. his voice is a mess.

"okay, i told you to be careful and you _pinched me,_ so i have limited sympathy, and we're supposed to meet seokmin and jeonghan in an hour."

"who let you turn into the responsible one in this relationship?" soonyoung groans.

"you did this to me, actually. wanted me to blend in, or did you forget?" he replies with a smirk.

soonyoung scoffs, but lets wonwoo haul his jellied body out of bed and into the shower for the second time today. he barely has to wash himself — wonwoo does it for him — all while slapping his hands away when he tries to start something. it's impressive multitasking, soonyoung will give him that.

wonwoo goes right to the closet when they're done and very deliberately grabs a shirt soonyoung wore last, layering the sweater seokmin gave him on his own birthday on top of it. no one will know except the two of them, which is kind of sexy, but soonyoung pushes the thought away because they have _priorities_ right now. he grabs a denim jacket to go over a black t-shirt he pulled from wonwoo's drawer, and fashionably ripped jeans. nice enough to leave the house for dinner, casual enough to match wonwoo, and a bonus reciprocation of the whole "stealing your clothes is comforting" thing.

he's never understood wonwoo's obsession with wearing his stuff, but something about pulling on a shirt that he knows he's pulled _off_ wonwoo at least twice since they started actually pulling clothes off each other — one that lives in a drawer of clothes that soonyoung doesn't usually touch… maybe he's onto something.

wonwoo sees it on him when he comes out of the bathroom where he was fixing his hair. his face is so blank that soonyoung is worried he's upset for a second, but he smiles slowly after dragging his eyes over his body. "the shirt looks good on you, but that's not very hard for clothes to do."

soonyoung feels his ears burn, just a little. he's getting better at compliments. more practice or something. less concerned with only convincingly emulating human behavior and more concerned with perfecting it, now. he rolls his eyes. "are you ready?"

wonwoo grins at him. he knows exactly what effect he has and soonyoung kind of hates it, but he also wouldn't trade it for anything. he pulls a sleeve over his hand and holds it out. "let's go, birthday boy."

***

"i can't believe you two were late because you were fucking," jeonghan says, apropos of nothing. they sat down _five seconds ago._

"we were _not—_ " soonyoung starts.

unfortunately, wonwoo says, "sorry," at the same time, and it's all over.

soonyoung looks at him in horror, but he hears seokmin and jeonghan snort.

"oh my god, i didn't expect to be _right._ no judgement here, we've been late to things, too."

seokmin nods. "just glad you're here and, like, dressed."

he says it teasingly, but soonyoung buries his face in his hands anyway. he would've told seokmin about the sex eventually, but not in the middle of a restaurant. it's a little much, even for him. "can we just look at our menus?" he groans, picking his up.

wonwoo taps him on the knee after a moment. when he has his attention, he leans close to point at something to ask what it is.

"you won't like it, babe, it has too much meat," he says quietly. he scans wonwoo's menu instead of his own and points out a few things that don't include any of the foods he's not a fan of. when he looks back to his own menu, he catches seokmin and jeonghan staring at them. "what now?"

"drinks? we should get drinks," seokmin says quickly.

"that's not what i meant. you two were staring."

jeonghan shakes his head. "it's nothing, you guys are just cute. right, _babe?_ "

"oh, definitely," seokmin agrees, snickering, but he grins sincerely as he says, "happy birthday, soonie."

👽👽👽

_  
nine months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
soonyoung is in the bedroom working on yet another fucking paper. it never ends. grad school is miserable. horangie is asleep on the bed, occasionally snoring softly. wonwoo was watching tv the last time he went to refill his water — netflix has some new stuff that soonyoung has no interest in, so he watches alone.

naturally, he's alarmed when he feels hands on his shoulders. wonwoo laughs behind him, bending down to hug him and apologize in his ear.

"how do i _still_ never hear you coming?" soonyoung whines.

"i don't know. maybe we should get me a collar with a bell."

soonyoung short circuits, because the image pops into his head instantly and jesus. "we can talk about the collar later because that sounds incredible, but please no bells. what's up?"

"missed you, but i wanted to ask… do you think we could go to the zoo?"

"i'm kind of busy, _jagiya._ "

"i know. not today, just soon. i saw one on tv. i think they have animals i don't know about yet, right?"

"i mean, i don't think you'll _need_ to know the different types of flamingos or snakes that exist in the world, or what an emu looks like for everyday city life, but you're right, there are plenty of animals we haven't talked about." he can't believe he didn't think of it before.

"see? none of those animal words made any sense to me."

soonyoung smiles at his screen. "friday?"

"you're the best and i love you," wonwoo tells him, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek.

"love you too."

"do you need anything?"

soonyoung hums as he scans a document for useful information. "i could eat, if you feel like going out to pick something up. or you could order it?"

"i can definitely do that. pizza? usual toppings?"

he loves that he doesn't have to tell wonwoo what he wants anymore. "yeah, that sounds good. thanks."

"okay. i'll give you five minutes after it gets here and then i'm dragging you out to eat."

"deal."

***

wonwoo knocks his elbow against soonyoung's side and asks, "why are you pouting?"

"because the tigers are way in the back." he points at the map in his hands and wonwoo leans closer to look at it.

"we'll get there eventually, right?"

"yeah, but they're my favorite." he's not actually in a hurry. it's nice outside and he's excited to see wonwoo's reaction to meerkats, but pouting comes with benefits, like wonwoo paying extra attention to him.

which he does, sort of — rolls his eyes, grabs soonyoung's wrist, and starts walking towards the first enclosure full of flamingos, clearly eager to start learning everything he can. "what are these?" he asks, very seriously.

"flamingos. there's always a sign…" soonyoung says, looking around for it. he guides wonwoo closer when he finds it and points. "a sign that tells you what the animals are."

"they're pretty."

"yeah, i guess."

"you don't like them."

"i think it's neat that they stand on one leg," soonyoung concedes. "next?"

wonwoo tugs on his wrist again, dragging him to the apes and monkeys, then all of the african animals. he's a big fan of lemurs, but doesn't like the ostriches. he says, "they look mean," and soonyoung agrees wholeheartedly. he decides a hippopotamus looks like a fushipan, whatever that is, and is mildly excited about the cheetahs and lions but thinks they just look like big versions of horangie. soonyoung frowns a little at that. he's not sure what he'll do if wonwoo doesn't love tigers.

he absolutely _adores_ the meerkats — spends the most time so far watching them with wide eyes and a big grin and if soonyoung wasn't already in love with him, this trip would be the clincher, appropriate levels of tiger appreciation or not.

the place is full of more species than soonyoung ever realized, or maybe he's always taken things like the reptiles and birds for granted and skipped over them. wonwoo doesn't let him do any of that. it's _hours_ before they get to the big cats and soonyoung's excitement finally rivals wonwoo's.

he drags wonwoo over and says, "look, tigers!" before standing in front of the glass and taking a few pictures of himself with them in the background. when he finds wonwoo again, he's just watching him, head tilted to the side. soonyoung waves him over and insists on taking a picture with both of them. wonwoo joins him — puts an arm around his waist and holds him close — because wonwoo is the best boyfriend ever.

soonyoung really, really loves the tigers.

"i like the spotted ones," wonwoo hums, turning back to face the glass.

his boyfriend is a _traitor._

"leopards," soonyoung tells him. "the tigers look so much more powerful, though."

"yeah, but look at that one in the tree," he says, pointing. "they're very sleek. pointy faces."

"i suppose," soonyoung agrees, but he's not thrilled about it. "they're close enough to tigers. i guess i can keep you."

"i don't think you have much of a choice, but i appreciate it. is there anything else on your map?"

"some bears on the way out, but we've seen everything else. i'm starving." they've been here all day. "dinner on the way home?"

wonwoo takes his hand and says, "sure," then quietly: "thank you."

"i haven't been here in years," soonyoung replies, "so thank you for thinking of it."

wonwoo looks at him — stares into his eyes like he sometimes does — and he maybe melts a little and has to look at his feet to avoid the weight of it. eventually, wonwoo tugs him along once again.

(the bears are cool, wonwoo thinks, but their claws are kind of scary.)

👽👽👽

_  
ten months after wonwoo crashed (wonwoo ver.)   
_  
wonwoo knows that soonyoung is at class when there's a knock on the apartment door that interrupts his play time with horangie. no one ever knocks on the door when soonyoung is out. seokmin and jeonghan always text them both before they drop by, together or alone, after that time they walked in, found him, and had no idea who he was.

he carefully peers through the peephole and a flood of memories hits him, so unexpectedly and strongly that his knees almost give out. his head hurts. he never gets headaches.

he finds his balance and opens the door, only to immediately get knocked on his ass.

"do you _know_ how _long it took me to find you?_ " his visitor seethes.

"what the _fuck,_ seungkwan."

"my thoughts _exactly._ " he steps inside and closes the door behind him, then holds out a hand to help wonwoo off the floor, because even angry, he's at least polite. "what are you _doing_ here? are you okay?"

"i _was_ playing with my cat, and was fine before you knocked me over." he looks around, but horangie must have run to hide in the bedroom.

"your cat. what's a cat?"

"it's…" is this how stressed soonyoung was when he showed up? because if so, his boyfriend is more incredible than he thought. "he's our pet."

"pet what? why are you saying our?"

wonwoo is losing patience.

he _never_ thought he'd see anyone from his planet again. it was depressing at first. he resented them for sending him off on some stupid mission and then not even bothering to look for him on the _next planet over,_ but he got over it, thanks in large part to soonyoung. horangie, too. so yeah, he's already annoyed.

"what do you _want?_ how did you even find me?"

"i've been looking for too long, that's how. the committee realized you didn't make it to mars. they were concerned."

"concerned about humans learning about us, you mean. don't pretend it was ever about me."

seungkwan scoffs. "whatever. i found you, i can finally go home. _we_ can finally go home."

wonwoo stares at him blankly for a moment, then does the only thing he can think to do: he laughs. "you can go home. i already am."

seungkwan frowns at him. "you're an idiot," he snaps, reaching into his coat pocket. he pulls out a small box with a button and passes it to him. it looks a lot like a garage door opener, but his hand glows when he touches it. "it's a beacon. it will expire after sixty days. push the button and someone will come get you."

wonwoo thinks about their shared closet, his sweater from seokmin, the fact that soonyoung gave him a _birthday,_ the trip to the zoo, how much he loves horangie and soonyoung and earth in general. he shakes his head. "i'm not going to push the button. you should take this back and tell them i don't want it. they need to forget about me."

"they won't like that."

"i don't care. they sent me to mars on some bullshit mission. they _wanted_ to forget about me. my fucking ship _blew up._ why does it matter if i'm here instead?"

seungkwan shuffles his weight on his feet and bites his lip like he's deciding whether to tell the truth. apparently, he decides to, like wonwoo doesn't know it anyway. "mars isn't full of other intelligent life."

wonwoo snorts. "exactly. this isn't about me. so you can tell them my behavior is entirely human and i'm not going to expose the stupid race. i _sleep,_ seungkwan. i _eat._ i have a partner and a cat and friends."

"just keep the beacon. sixty days. if you don't use it, i'll tell them those things."

"is there any way to know if i just throw in the trash after you leave?"

"no, but you won't, because no matter how much you blend in now, you know you don't belong here. no one will ever understand you, not even your partner and cat and friends."

wonwoo glares at him. he's taller than seungkwan and kind of wants to punch him in the face, but that would be unwise. he clenches his fists, gathers all of his anger into his chest, and growls, "get the fuck out of my house" instead.

seungkwan does, but it's too late — he's in wonwoo's head. he stares at the beacon for a while, hating that seungkwan planted just enough doubt to make him keep the stupid thing. 

he doesn't want to leave. there was one horrifying moment when he saw seungkwan in the hallway where he thought he wasn't going to have a choice, and it was the most crippling feeling he's ever experienced. he wants to stay.

but he slips the stupid fucking thing into a winter sock and buries it in his drawer in soonyoung's dresser and thinks about it even after his boyfriend gets home.

should he say something? should he not? should he go outside the next day and throw it down a storm drain? he finally understands all the plotlines where people kiss someone other than their partner and torture themselves over what to do. he feels terrible about the idea of not saying anything, but the idea of saying something and losing what he has here is infinitely worse. knowing wonwoo has a way home will only make soonyoung worry about something that won't happen, because wonwoo has no intention of leaving.

still, it stays in the dresser.

👽👽👽

_  
eleven months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
soonyoung was putting away laundry when he found it, in a lonely sock without its match, underneath a pair of wonwoo's jeans. he's been curled up in a ball on the couch, staring at the weird markings on the back of it for an hour. he doesn't know what it is, but it's obviously something wonwoo didn't want him to find.

he hears the door unlock and takes a deep breath, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"hey, they didn't have any of your favorite ramen, so i got the other one you like," wonwoo announces. soonyoung hears groceries settle against the counter as he puts the bags down. his mouth has gone completely dry, brain lacking anything in the way of words to say. wonwoo follows up with a "babe?" as he comes around the couch, then stops in his tracks. "i can explain. please stop thinking whatever you're thinking," he says quietly, cautiously lowering himself into the space between soonyoung's feet and the side of the couch.

"what exactly do you think i'm thinking?"

"i don't know, i just know it's probably bad. you wouldn't be here staring at it otherwise."

soonyoung sighs and pushes himself into a sitting position, knees against his chest. he tosses the stupid little box into wonwoo's lap. "what is it?"

he focuses on his toes, but he sees wonwoo pick it up out of the corner of his eye. he turns it over in his hands before he answers. "it's a beacon."

"where did you get it?" soonyoung murmurs.

"someone i knew once. he found me here, maybe a month ago. you were at class."

soonyoung scoffs. "how do i get aliens to stay away from my apartment? vampires hate garlic. what the hell is the alien equivalent?"

"durian."

soonyoung rolls his eyes. he was being an asshole, he didn't expect an actual answer, but wonwoo has always surprised him. "so, what? you push the button and get teleported home?"

"not exactly," wonwoo replies after a long pause. he's clearly choosing his words carefully. "they'd send someone to take me back. that's what the friend who gave me this was supposed to do."

"you should do that," soonyoung mutters. even as it leaves his mouth, he knows it's unfair.

"i don't want to."

soonyoung turns his head and narrows his eyes. "then why do you have it?"

"because the friend i knew that came… he made me wonder if i could ever be truly happy here, and i thought… i don't know. he said no one will ever understand me, not really."

"that's one hell of a shitty friend."

"he always cared," wonwoo says, "somewhere under all the nagging."

soonyoung rests his chin on his knees and stares at wonwoo's current book on the coffee table, just there, same as it would be if he up and left one day.

wonwoo shifts, rearranging his legs, careful to avoid touching him. "i'd be lying if i said i didn't miss home sometimes."

for a long time, soonyoung was afraid that one day wonwoo would find someone else. he didn't think to be afraid that someone else would find him. "why didn't you just tell me?"

"because i knew you would worry, and you don't have to. i love you so much more than i miss home."

he shouldn't say it. he knows it's below the belt, but he does it anyway. "you only love me because it's convenient. you had no choice." he regrets it immediately.

wonwoo is so unbelievably patient, and still hasn't raised his voice once. "we've talked about this, soonyoung. you know it's not true."

"what could you possibly love about me more than someone at home? we're _literally_ from different planets," he replies, colder than he means it to be.

"you're just realizing this?" he says it just flippantly enough that the dam that holds back the flood — it breaks.

"no, i'm saying maybe your friend was right," soonyoung snaps. "maybe you don't belong here, maybe this was a huge mistake, maybe i should've kicked you out on the street or handed you over to the government the day you fucking got here. maybe you'll never be the perfect human. maybe you'll get caught and they'll take you away from me. or maybe you'll decide you hate me and want to go home and won't be able to. so yeah, maybe you should just go now."

wonwoo looks at him for a long time. he finally says, "i know you don't mean that."

soonyoung scoffs bitterly. he doesn't, but that's not really the point. "you know what? i can't be here right now." he moves quickly to the door and pulls his shoes on.

"what do you want me to do?" wonwoo asks. he sounds hurt, but soonyoung is half a second from breaking down and he needs to leave.

he takes one last look at wonwoo, with his hand on the doorknob, and musters as much conviction as he can. "do what _you_ want to do, wonwoo. i'm not the one who has to decide whether or not they should sacrifice their entire identity."

he makes it down a single flight of stairs before his legs give out on a landing, so he crawls into the corner and cries.

***

wonwoo doesn't know how long he stares at the wall after the door slams shut, has no idea how much time passes before he chucks the beacon at it, wishing he'd never kept the thing in the first place and hoping to any god that it breaks.

it doesn't.

the noise confuses horangie, though. he comes out of the bedroom, stretching on the way to the couch. the cat looks up at him, meows, and he feels even worse than he already did. it's dinner time, and he remembers there are groceries to put away, too.

he's just put horangie's bowls down when his phone rings on the counter next to him, screen lit up with "jeonghan" across the top. he should've known it's where soonyoung would go.

wonwoo answers, but all that comes out is, "hi." it sounds pathetic, but they were soonyoung's friends first. he's not really sure what else to say.

jeonghan sighs. "you're a fucking dumbass," he says. he sounds more exhausted than upset, at least.

"i know. is he there? safe?"

"he's cuddling with seokmin. he hasn't really stopped crying. you're a fucking dumbass."

"you said that already," wonwoo says defensively.

"i'm going to say it every time i see you for the next god only knows how long, so get used to it," jeonghan retorts. the implication is clear — he has no doubt wonwoo will stay. it's probably the only reason he called. "i know how he is, and i know he probably said some dumb shit too, but you need to come over here and fix this. you need to be absolutely sure you want to stay. you need to not say you miss your planet. for fuck's sake, what were you _thinking?_ "

he's so tired. he's not supposed to be tired, ever. "i was being honest. i didn't tell him about the beacon, and that's why we're in this situation. i thought continuing to withhold information would be a bad idea."

jeonghan sighs again. "just get over here. apologize for hiding it, offer to get rid of it before it expires or self-destructs or whatever the fuck alien technology does. tell him how much you love him, because i see it on your face every time we're all together, and this whole thing is so stupid."

"how do you know he'll talk to me?" wonwoo asks.

"he's _in love with you,_ oh my god. if he wasn't, he wouldn't be here crying on my boyfriend's chest. even if you have to talk _at_ him through the bedroom door, he's at least going to listen."

"okay," wonwoo sighs. "i'll be there soon. thank you."

"don't thank me," jeonghan tells him, more sympathetic than he has been for the rest of the call. "just… fix it."

***

a knock on the bedroom door startles him. seokmin is asleep. soonyoung can't be bothered to move from his chest, so he just says, "jeonghan, it's your apartment."

there's a pause, and then wonwoo's voice. "it's me."

soonyoung feels like he should tear up, but he doesn't have the energy. "what do you want?"

"you don't have to talk to me, but i want you to know something. things, i guess." soonyoung hears movement on the other side of the door, like he's sitting down against it. he just waits. "when seungkwan— my friend, that's his name— when seungkwan showed up at the door that day, i was terrified. more terrified than i was when i woke up on earth. i thought he was going to drag me back. i thought i wasn't going to have a choice." wonwoo pauses, like he's collecting more thoughts, but his voice is unsteady when he continues. "it wasn't going home that scared me, soonyoung. it was the idea that i wouldn't be able to say goodbye. it was knowing what it would do to you."

his body somehow finds a way to cry again, but at least it's silent tears this time. seokmin's arms tighten around him, so maybe he's awake after all.

"i'm sorry i didn't tell you about the visit or the beacon the second you got home. i stuck it in the drawer, and i thought about telling you the whole night, but the moment you walked in, i knew i wasn't going to use it. it doesn't matter if no one else understands me. it only matters that you and horangie do." wonwoo pauses again. maybe he's giving soonyoung space to respond if he wants to, who knows, but he stays silent. "you were right, though, sort of. if there's any part of us that isn't sure about this, i have one shot to go home, so maybe i should take it. i'm sure, though. are you?"

seokmin kisses the top of his head and whispers, "that was pretty good, soonie. i'll take him if you don't want him." he's clearly kidding, but it works — soonyoung snorts and sits up. he walks across the room and opens the door. wonwoo falls backwards, which honestly makes some tiny part of him happy, but most of him just laughs at the offended look on his face as he steps over him and hauls him back into a sitting position, then gets down on the floor in front of him, close enough for their knees to touch.

wonwoo stares at him like he does, frowning slightly before reaching up and running his thumbs under his eyes.

"you can't lie to me about any weird alien business anymore," soonyoung tells him. he doesn't think wonwoo would, but it's good to be clear. "speaking of which, do your hands still work? you haven't floated any toys for horangie for a while, and they're cooler."

wonwoo shrugs. "they glowed when i touched the beacon, so i think so? but i haven't had a reason to try. horangie likes when i throw his toys across the room more than floating them, anyway. but no lies. you're stuck with me, if you want to be."

soonyoung's stupid tear ducts find more fucking moisture. ridiculous. "that's all i've wanted since we decided you weren't going to kill me. i'm sorry for lashing out at you."

"i would've lashed out at me, too," wonwoo says, shaking his head. "will you come home with me? i think i know what we can do with the beacon."

👽👽👽

_  
twelve months after wonwoo crashed   
_  
soonyoung finds the first photo they ever took together when he's cleaning up the storage on his phone, wonwoo asleep next to him. he looks so confused in it, wearing one of soonyoung's hoodies with his purple hair. he didn't quite understand the point of cameras, or why something meant for talking to people had them. soonyoung had snapped the picture, shown it to him, and then forgot about it.

he moves the picture to a dedicated folder, then texts it to wonwoo's number and hears his phone ping on his bedside table.

the beacon was returned. wonwoo pushed the button, solely to get someone from his planet to come, solely so he could tell them — in no uncertain terms, while holding soonyoung's hand — to fuck off.

it was pretty hot.

it took some time to get back to where they were, even after that. most of the hangup was soonyoung's fault, punishing himself for deliberately hurtful things he had said even though they'd already forgiven each other. wonwoo voluntarily spent a few nights in a row on the couch, binging tv or reading or both — giving soonyoung space to forgive _himself._ he suspects wonwoo also checked on him, because blankets that he usually kicks off when he's asleep were still covering him in the morning. it's better now, though.

he finds a picture that he never showed wonwoo; one he took a while ago, likely a few nights after they dyed his hair red. soonyoung remembers he was leaning against the arm of the couch, working on his laptop while wonwoo was watching something unimportant. when he put the laptop on the coffee table, wonwoo tugged at his legs and slid between them, leaning back against soonyoung's chest so he could stretch his own legs out on the couch. then, he fell one-hundred percent asleep. soonyoung had carefully reached for his phone and snapped the picture as quickly as he could, one finger on his other hand poking wonwoo's cheek.

he moves that one, too, before texting it to him — hears the ping and sees wonwoo stir.

he finds a few of wonwoo and horangie, one with the feathered balls floating in front of him, and moves those. he doesn't do it anymore, only throws them.

he scrolls to a specific date, all the way back in february, and his breath catches when he finds what he's looking for: a short video of wonwoo next to him on the floor, bucket hat from jeonghan on his head, actively ripping wrapping paper off the box that held his unicorn sweater. he didn't know what was inside, but he looked so focused, with the smallest hint of excitement that soonyoung thinks maybe can only be seen by him.

he finds their pictures from the zoo and smiles when he remembers the day and the leopards and the very lazy, unhurried sex they had that night because all of the walking was exhausting.

wonwoo stirs again — rolls over and flings his arm over soonyoung's waist, grumbling unintelligible words.

he locks his phone and sets it aside before rolling to face him. he's going to have to try to clean up his storage later, because right now all he can think about is how proud he is of wonwoo for learning how to be human, how touched he is that wonwoo did that for him, how lucky he is that wonwoo crashed on earth, and how happy he makes him — them, really, because horangie loves him, too.

it's absolutely crazy how much things can change in a year.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for making it here, if you did. i'm very sorry if i made you cry. kudos and/or comments very appreciated.


End file.
